


As it falls unto my lot (that I must go and you must not)

by AnnieTheMouse



Category: The Old Guard (Comics), The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: F/F, Major character death but it’s not permadeath so I don’t tag that, The old guard help people, and sometimes they can help back, travelling through the centuries with probably little historical accuracy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 15:54:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26590210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnieTheMouse/pseuds/AnnieTheMouse
Summary: aka "Five times a member of the Old Guard died to protect a mortal (and therefore accidentally gave away their secret) - and how those people saved them back."
Comments: 22
Kudos: 107





	1. Andromache of Scythia

Andromache still doesn’t understand what is going on, but she lives another day, and she’ll take it as a blessing. It doesn’t make any sense that she is still here, after she felt the arrow pierce her gut, after she felt the pain overwhelm her. The day before, it had been a sword. But here she is, still.

She’s proud of it, even as she’s confused by it. Every day that she is able to fight is a gift, so this is just another gift. She doesn’t know what she’s done to be worthy of it, but she’ll use it in their fight.

The only problem is she’s not the only person who believes she should be dead. Across the fire, Laodamia watches her with wide eyes, making her on edge even though the battle is complete. The arrow that had hit her today had been destined for Laodamia’s chest before Andromache had stepped in the way.

Confrontation happens, but it’s not as she expects, Laodamia’s lips on hers instead of angry words. “Lay with me” she whispers. “You are blessed, and I wish to share your gifts.”

Whether that’s how the gods work, Andromache cannot resist the offer to be close, to not think about it. To feel alive.

***

It is only a week later when Andromache is not killed, but held prisoner. She does not know why they are keeping her, other than to torment her. She does not know where her army is, where her friends are, where her sisters are. She thinks death might have been preferable than this, tied, tortured and left to her thoughts. Tied and unable to do what she wills, what the gods will, to kill them all.

How the woman sneaks into the tent, she does not know. She hears none of her other sisters, nothing of the clash of metal, no screams of war, but she is somehow here, fingers clumsy on the rope, and Andromache is just able to get her hands free when they are discovered. Laodamia dies in front of Andromache, dead because she dared save her sister, and there is nothing but rage left in the Scythian’s soul as she grabs the ax the other woman dropped and attacks.

There are none other of her sisters there to see her, no one else to help, but Andromache does not need them. She kills all those that surround the tent, barely stopping when they try and cut her down. She makes them pay, for her torment, for her sisters. For Laodamia, who thought she’d be able to share in the gods blessing by touching her, saving her.

She carries her sister free of that dead and bloodied camp. Takes her home. She kept her secret, she deserved nothing less.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know ancient scythian names, so looking for any female names that could be associated with the name Andromache it was. And yes, I’m going Amazonian legend inspired here, or perhaps Xena inspired, I never will claim historical accuracy. ;) 
> 
> (there was a Polyxena that I found first when searching for related names, but I thought using that would be a little TOO on the nose)


	2. Nicolo di Genova

He’s beginning to doubt their reasons for coming here. The in-fighting, the cruelty, the destruction. It all seems overwhelming if he dares to stop and think about it, nothing like what he’d imagined this crusade would be like.

At first he had thought his repeated survival was a gift from God, but now he is not sure. He watches his people act with the same behaviour that he was told, when he was sent here, that he was to protect against. Barbarism and savagery. The opponent also seems savage, at times, but it’s also made up of people that look so different, but in truth are not so different than in the villages of his homeland.

He turns another corner, with his fellow soldiers, branches off to the side on his own, and runs straight into a man, an enemy, holding a sword. Except he’s not holding it right. His hand shakes, and there are no sword callouses, and he obviously was hoping not to be seen, the belongings half thrown into his pack, an escape in progress. He is more afraid of Nicolo than Nicolo is of him, that’s for certain.

His sword flashes out, and it would be beyond easy for Nicolo to counter it, to stop it from gutting him. 

He just doesn’t. He can’t look into the eyes of a scared man and kill him, not anymore. His collapse, he reckons, will give the man a chance to escape. His own death will give him a moment of quiet. To do the same.

***

By the time he comes back to himself, he is alone. A good enough time to escape the city. He knows who he seeks, but he doesn’t know where he seeks. Just the rough direction he had seen him in, and a need to be away from the others. When he reaches the first village, he is parched, so thirsty from the desert, from his last death. They are afraid of him when he comes in, approaches them, and he does not want them to be afraid - he does not want to fight them. 

The man who appears, chattering loudly, is a shock. The same man who he had recently been stabbed by, loudly proclaiming something he does not understand, but bringing up the bucket, offering him water. His nod, his smile, his thanks, he truly hopes is understood. Not just by this man, but by the other man who follows behind him, curly haired and well armed. A man who has killed him. A man he has killed.

“He says you could have killed him” the other immortal says, in Nicolo’s own language, rough but understandable. “But you did not.”

“I am so sick of death” Nicolo responds, voice breaking, and in the breaking he sees an understanding on the other’s face, in the tilt of his head, in the exhale of his breath. And when his former enemy gestures for Nicolo to follow him, he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was told that there is another story that is using the parting glass as a reference, and so I went and read it, and it is amazing so you should stop here and go read https://archiveofourown.org/works/25679185/chapters/62345146 - I welcome you back when you’re done but damn


	3. Yusuf al-Kaysani

They call this a war to end all wars, but Yusuf has seen too many to believe that will ever be true. Andy knew someone, who knew someone, and this is how they’ve ended up here, not with an army but with a resistance. Hidden in the woods, adding their arms to the fight.

Not just fighting though. These raids are important, sneaking into cities, helping gather supplies, helping rescue those still trapped. In this case, a family. The mother and the older sister have made it past and into the woods, but the boy is terrified, and Yusuf stays with him, gun at the ready, carefully coaxing him forward, urging him to make the effort.

“A man can have nothing but what he strives for” He tells him, as the wide eyes stare up at him. “Repeat it. Believe it.” Then the world explodes, and all he has time to do is wrap himself around a small body and hope.

“Nothing but what I strive for” The child is whispering over and over as he clings to Joe, wide eyes staring when he comes back with a gasp. If he had time, he would spin some story, ensure the child did not think he’d seen what he saw. But they need to get safe and get safe now, and all he can do is hope this one is too young to truly realize what has happened.

“Come” he says, as the child jumps at his words, his movement. “Let’s get you free.”

***

The job is not yet done. They've taken down who they came for, but these men have allies that will have to be dealt with, so for now avoidance is key. They desperately need to be able to regroup, to rest. Thankfully the locals are supporting them in their fight, so they’re able to make their ways down backs of businesses unobstructed before they are waved into a small restaurant down one of the side streets.

The old man who runs the place keeps staring at Yusuf, which is not helping him relax, but he has locked the door behind them so they can hide out from any remaining enemies, and is soon filling their table with plates filled with good and hearty food, refusing payment. 

A little discomfort is something he’ll live with for this moment of safety. Nicolo is definitely on edge from the look as well however, and is almost ready to take offence he knows. Until the man, dropping off his final plate, bows deeply at the table.

“A man can have nothing but what he strives for” He says to Yusuf, words accented but carefully spoken, and suddenly in the lined face he sees surprisingly familiar eyes. “Please enjoy”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “A man can have nothing but what he strives for.” - Quran, 53:39
> 
> I profess no real knowledge beyond googling for affirmations that would work in this case.
> 
> I firmly believe though that Joe would be the one they'd use to try and encourage kids/interact with kids.


	4. Sebastian le Livre

Although he’s adapted to learn these computer things far better than the others, he still knows there is much to much to learn it all. When the team relies on him to find what they need and it is beyond his grasp, he is thankful for the reputation he’s set up in certain IRC chatrooms as that allows him to trade favours and get the answers he needs.

Today what he needs is the plans to the building they need to find their target in, and Booker is confident as he makes his way down the alleyway to the meeting spot to trade off for the plans. Someday, he is sure, the internet will be better and fast enough that in person meets won’t be necessary - but for now, for security, this is best. People like them, well, privacy is the most important thing.

He’s done his research so he expects the grungy teenager waiting when he rounds the corner - though merde, he hadn’t expected her to look as young as she does in person. And he definitely didn’t expect to find her being menaced, with a gun, by someone he doesn’t recognize. 

“Hey” he yells, and the man spins and shoots. Booker’s fast enough, good enough, that he has his own gun out and a shot off, accurate, deadly. Unfortunately not quite fast enough to stop the bullets from hitting him straight in the chest.

“Bâtard” he grunts as he feels his body immediately start to weaken, falling back, his gaze full of the sky. 

***

Exile is unbearable. There are too many memories of both his families everywhere, so he escapes to the only place he can think of that neither of them had touched. The code he puts into the door is complex, the security tight - he should know, he helped create it. He ignores the first floor, the sounds of computers, of muttered voices, and heads to the stairs.

She waits at the top, the first hints of grey now visible at her temples. Ever since he’d woken in an alley finding a panicked teenager trying to pull him away from where he could be found, trying to protect his privacy even in death, he’d taken Marie on. Supported a teen hacker, which led to a team of hackers. It had made his job much easier over the decades.

Her raised eyebrow asks the question for her. He shouldn’t be here. ”Comme la vie est triste et coule lentement.” he croaks in response, voice breaking, and her face drops.

“We’ll figure it out” is her only response as she takes him in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comme la vie est triste et coule lentement = How sad is life and how slowly it flows. - from Jules Laforgue - Triste, Triste.
> 
> (Frenchmen are so dramatic.)
> 
> But yeah. I mean, Booker can learn but computers are a broad topic and it changes so often and he's also doing other things (ie. vetting clients) ... so I can see him coming up with an alternative plan that doesn't just rely on him but helps keep them safe. 
> 
> Also I may have played too much of the Watchdogs videogame lately.


	5. Nile Freeman

The fact is, when Nile had been born, this was all just sci-fi. Idolizing Nichelle Nichols's Uhura does not mean you expect to eventually be her. (Even if your fighting style makes you more the Zoe Saldana version.)

But she can’t help but think of some of those old away team missions she’d watched on the screen as she makes her way across each new planet’s surface. Even if the reality was a lot more Wild West than that old Federation. No matter how the world changes, warriors are still needed - she’s not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Problem is no matter how many years they have of practice behind them, the Guard can’t be good at everything, which is why they have other crew with them. Mortal crew. Like Dami, the pilot whose skills had been needed to make it to this pick up, the pilot who is currently stuck in this predicament with her.

This was supposed to be an quick run, and their delivery was definitely not supposed to be booby trapped. Yet the forcefield that activated behind them once they got what they came for, cutting off comms as well, really doesn’t bode well. They have a deadline to make, people to be saved off the back of this.

There is a way out if she wants it, she knows. For her, there is always a way out. But it ain’t going to be pretty. “Don’t worry” she tells Dami “It may not look it, but I’ll be right back” and she leaps into the wall of electricity across the opening that holds them prisoner and feels the barrier - and her body -overload.

***

She wakes as Dami grabs her by the hand. “Alright boss?” they ask as they pull Nile up, seemingly unaffected by how she’d blown the forcefield and gotten them free.

“Alright” she responds, blinking as she tries to get her vision back from the blinding light, the overload of electricity. But she feels a hand in hers, tugging her along, and she doesn’t need to see to follow. Dami can fly through anything, they can lead her from this place.

Her vision doesn't really come back properly til they make the shuttle - eyes are so complex and therefore slow to heal. In the heat of the moment, in getting away from here, Nile tries to put the less dire problem in the back of her mind. Mainly, the fact that Dami seems completely unphased by her electrocuting herself to death.

"Yeah boss. We already knew you guys are kind of weird.“ is all they say when the job is done and Nile finally asks, after Dami’s expert flying has gotten them free yet again. “Don’t hold it against you none though.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Privacy is already disappearing (disappeared?), so I can’t help but think crammed into a spaceship secrets would not exist, no matter how much you thought they did. And Nile to me, unlike the others, seems too practical for ‘I will keep this secret even if it destroys everything’. She gets shit done, at whatever cost. (As for Dami, well, they figure this puts their odds better than if they were with a 'normal' crew)
> 
> If you can't tell, I really like Nile. Also I really like to think of the team, traveling the universe - the same thing, just a different scale.
> 
> This was originally the last chapter, but one other scenario came to me, so we'll call it the Bonus cause it's not in chronological order like the others.


	6. Bonus: Quyhn

She holds the labrys. Quyhn’s fingers are white as they tighten around it, as she stands over her former lover, the woman who had just dropped her weapon at her feet. Who kneels, unresisting, in front of her. She can see the others running towards them and gives the order to fire on all of them. To knock them down til they can be restrained. Til they can pay.

“Non” Booker spits out from where he’s barely breathing from his last session in the water. “She’s not immortal anymore, Quyhn, please” and there is despair in his voice, but there’s been despair in his voice since the moment she first dreamt of him so she almost ignores it.

But she can’t ignore the look in Andy’s eyes as she stares back at Quyhn, as she stands and waits for the guns to fire. There is something there that Quyhn has never seen, never imagined, a willingness to let it end if this be the end. Andromache has never looked like there was an end to face before.

The fear that rushes through her makes her fast, as she moves in front of her love, the bullets she’d ordered piercing her own flesh, the ax falling from her fingers - and into Andromache’s.

The rage in her beloved’s face as she turns on the men, as Quyhn fades for a short time from this world …

It’s enough to make Quyhn believe in her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically it's an immortal saving a mortal, right? Also I went with Quyhn over Noriko because I'm thinking of it more recently. Not sure why they went with two names, makes it much harder to be ambiguous of which canon which this definitely is meant to be.
> 
> So. Yeah. That was a fun one to write. I hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Annoyingly with how my brain works, I actually have extensions for pretty well all of these stories as their own stories other than Nicky’s or Quyhn’s (although thanks to a comment on Nicky's I could probably manage that one too). 
> 
> I don't know if I could get to all of them, so if there are any that people are participarly interested in let me know and I'll try and bump those to the front of the queue.


End file.
